


"Double Gross"

by argylemikewheeler



Series: Tumblr Re-posts [14]
Category: IT (2017), Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Disguise, M/M, Mutual Pining, No cheating, Past Relationship(s), Richie Tozier and Mike Wheeler Are Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-29 03:42:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18217730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argylemikewheeler/pseuds/argylemikewheeler
Summary: Prompt: Mike and Richie are twins and for some reason Will is dating Richie but actually loves Mike and one day Mike (who also likes Will) pulls the Phoebe/Ursula trick and pretends to be Richie and Will just, comes and kisses him, but then Mike feels guilty and stops only to have Will confess that he knew it was him and he and Richie had broken up weeks ago





	"Double Gross"

The idea started when their mother mistook Mike for Richie as she rushed Holly off to daycare. Mike was standing at the table, getting his books together for school, when she kissed him on the cheek and said that she loved him, ending with the name of his twin brother instead of his own. The two of them were so different in terms of personality, Mike never considered ways in which he could physically pass for his brother. He didn’t think there would ever be a reason to do so until Will and Richie started becoming unbearable.

They were sweet, holding hands and always having quiet conversations when the group was together, but it always bothered him. Will had been his friend since kindergarten, not Richie’s. Richie only started hanging out with them the minute Will got a better haircut and finally hit a growth spurt in the eleventh grade. Richie thought with a different  _head_ entirely while Mike thought Will was always beautiful. He didn’t want to feel jealous or entitled, but whenever Richie talked about “his Will”, something in Mike wanted to fight back. So he did it in the only slimy, behind-his-back way he knew how; if he was going to pretend to be Richie, he’d have to start thinking like Richie.

He started planning it a week in advance; he slowly loosened the arms of Richie’s glasses making them sit wonky on his face and slowly pushing him towards wearing his contacts more frequently and leaving his glasses on his nightstand. Mike also introduced Richie to the addictive nature of the local arcade, encouraging him to go by leaving quarters on his dresser and placing them under seat cushions to “discover”. By Saturday afternoon, Richie was already in the arcade, squinting through his contacts at the flashing lights of the new pinball machine. Richie was away and Will was supposed to be over to meet him– but Richie was so focused on a high score it apparently slipped his mind completely. That and Mike might have convinced his brother it was Friday, making Will’s date “tomorrow”. Either way, Will was on his way to their house and Mike was busy tightening his brother’s glasses to sit correctly on his face.

“Jesus, Richie. You are fucking  _blind_.” Mike muttered to himself, having to peer under the lenses to properly gauge how close everything was. The coke-bottle glasses were a massive oversight, literally, but Mike was committed. He already had Richie’s old clothes on and the glasses perched on his nose; answering the door with a smirk would complete the look and convince anyone. The doorbell rang as Mike stumbled down the stairs. “Coming! I’m coming!”

“That’s what you always say!” Will yelled back behind the door.  _Ew. Gross._

“Shut up and get in the house.” Mike said, yanking the door open. Will laughed and Mike figured he was getting things mostly correct. One sentence in and he was already perfect. It paid to be observant and hopelessly in love. “So what’s up, Will?”

“Nothing much. Just finished that thing with Jonathan I was telling you about.” Will said, shouldering his jacket off.  _Oh shit. Fuck fuck fuck._

“You tell me about a lot of things, Will. Remind me.” Mike said, taking Will’s coat from him and hanging it on the rack by the door.

“His photo collage? I told you like, three weeks ago!” Will exclaimed, looking at him with furrowed eyebrows.

“Oh, well, I really don’t remember it,” Mike said, trying to cover his ass. “But I’ll trust you.”

Will’s eyes stayed focused on Mike’s, trying to see them behind the thick fog in front of them. He looked away quickly. “Oh, well, I just had to help develop the photos. It took  _forever_.”

“Taking up all of my time with you.” Mike said, knowing how quickly and disgusting sweet Richie got with Will. Actually, the fact he hadn’t said anything before Will got his coat off was probably a red flag. “He’s had you long enough.”

“I know. I know.” Will said, walking from the foyer to the kitchen. “So what is going on with you? You seem dressed up today.”

“What?” Mike said. Richie had literally worn the outfit on his body a week ago. He copied everything down to his socks.

“Your hair. It’s actually styled today.” Will placed a hand in Mike’s hair, tousling it teasingly before leaning against the counter across from Mike. His toes pressed against Mike’s, his comfort and ease making Mike start to feel his first pang of guilt; he was going straight to hell. Will thought he was his boyfriend, not his dorky twin brother.

“Eh, actually kind of just rolled out of bed.” He shrugged.

“That’s not what your hair looks like when you sleep, Richard.” Will laughed, lifting an eyebrow. _Double gross._  “Were you trying to style it today?”

“What? No!” Mike cried, shaking his head. “No I didn’t!”

“You did!” Will laughed, reaching out to grab "Richie". “You were dressing up for me!”

“I wasn’t!” Mike tried to sound stern under his bubbling laughter. Will grabbed at his waist, tickling him. Mike squirmed as Will’s fingers curled around his hips, pulling him closer. He nearly pushed Will away, knowing that the closeness was under the understanding of a lie. “Will, wait.” Mike muttered. He tried to pull away but Will was stronger than Mike’s will to be away from him. Will pulled him forward again, Mike’s hands resting on Will’s shoulders to break his fall.

“Something wrong?” Will asked, looking at Mike’s wide and worried eyes. “You said your parents weren’t going to be home all day.”

“I know they aren’t.” Mike said. “It’s just… I have to tell you something.”

“What is it?” Will asked, his hands slipping around his waist and clasping together on Mike’s lower back.

“I…” Mike started, biting his lip as his eyes slowly fell to Will’s. “I think I love you.”  _Fuck_.

“You think?” Will laughed, cocking his head. “Well, I have to say, that’s new.” Will didn’t seem bothered by Mike’s confession– although his eyes searched Mike’s face slowly, dragging over him painfully slow. Even through the fog of Richie’s glasses, Mike could see Will’s eyes tracking his nervous twitching as he leaned closer.

Will kissed Mike first. It was slow, taking more than a moment to have their lips pressed fully against the other’s. A long enough time to allow Mike to push Will away, but he was frozen. This wasn’t in the plan. Yes, Will was supposed to accept Mike as Richie and just let Mike feel close to his best friend in the way he never admitted he wanted, but Will wasn’t supposed to kiss him– that was cheating and Will wouldn’t have even known. Mike ruined their relationship. What the hell had he done?

“Will, wait. Stop.” Mike pushed him away and stepped back. “You don’t understand– I’m not–”

“Mike, it’s okay.” Will said quietly, biting his lip.

“Did you just… You  _know_?” Mike removed Richie’s glasses to finally see Will in perfect clarity, and it was the first he had in his whole life.

“I knew it the minute I walked in the door.” Will blushed, twisting his hands in front of him. “But, I figured it was how you were going to get through to me– and for me to get through to you.”

“Wait… what gave it away?” Mike asked, still trying to reprocess his guilt since Will  _knew it was him_.

“You said you trusted me.” Will said, shrugging. “Richie always likes to be right. If he didn’t remember a conversation, we didn’t have it.”

“So this whole time… You just let me look like a dick?” Mike asked, crossing his arms. “Thanks.”

“Mike, Richie and I have been broken up for three weeks.” Will said. “If I didn’t know it was you, you had a better chance of getting me to kiss you if you were just  _Mike_. You know, the boy I actually like.”

“You let me say that I loved you.”

“Sorry, but you said that all on your own, Mike.” Will suppressed his smile and laughed softly at Mike’s open mouth, trying to argue but knowing he was wrong. “You should say it again.” 

“Can I be myself this time?” Mike asked, stepping back up to Will and placing his hands on his chest again.

“Can I kiss you after you say it again?” Will asked, biting his lip. “Even if you only  _think_  you love me?”

“I think I would love to kiss you again.”

**Author's Note:**

> [The Rebloggable Post!](https://argylemikewheeler.tumblr.com/post/167957141775/byler-prompt-mike-and-richie-are-twins-and-for)


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